Wheel mounting for axleless trucks



Sept 4, 1951 H. F. FLOWERS 2,566,881

' WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AxLELEss TRUCKS Filed Nov. 5. 1946 2 sheets-sheet 15y' 5 Mm, VmZLLaLf/QM SePt- 4, 1951 H. F. FLOWERS 2,566,881

WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AxLELEss TRUCKS Filed Nov. 5. 194e 2 sheets-sheet 2Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT O F F I CEl WHEELJMGUNTINGFOR VAXLELE'S S' TRUCKS .Henry ort FIQWera'FindIay, Ohio ApplicationNovember 5, 1946,1SerialNo. 707,821

Y awheel mounting of the above type wherein the lubricant is retained:within the wheel hub by re. taining members mounted'in thehubcat eac-hend thereof, whichV retainingfmembershave la runn-ing nt with the spacersleeves between the. bearings and the side members of the truck' frame.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a wheel mountingof the above type wherein the running t between the retaining membersand the spacer sleeves is `disposed radially within the bearingsurfaceof theinnerrace, thus permitting a bath of lubricating oil to bemaintained within the` Wheel hubinto, which the moving parts `of thebearings 'dip at each rotation of the wheel.

A still further object of the invention 'is to provide a wheelv mountingof .theabove type wherein an oil retainer is mounted within'eachouterend of the hub for rotation therewith, a snap ring is frictionallycarried by each oil retainer and rotates therewith and wherein eachouter spacing sleeve is provided with a groove into which the snap ringassociated therewith extends with an oil sealed running fit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wheel mounting of theabove type for an axleless truck wherein the hub of the wheel is sodimensioned as to make a close running fit with the side members of thetruck frame so as to prevent dust from entering the hub of the wheel.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of theinvention:

Figure 1 is a View partly in plan and partly in horizontal sectionthrough one of the wheel mountings showing an axleless truck embodyingthe improvements, the gimbal support for the body of the vehicle beingomitted;

Figure 2 is a view showing the wheel truck partly in side elevation andpartly in section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view (Cl. 30gg-487.11)

`2` through one of the `side members of the truck frame and one end ofthe wheel mounting, said View being taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figurei is a sectional view on the line 4 4. of Figure 3:; and

Figure 5 -is an enlarged view of the end portions of the snap ring'.

In my prior Patent No. 2,461,263, granted February 8, 1949, there isshown an axleless wheel truck for a rail vehicle wherein the wheels aremounted between spaced side members and in tandem. The present inventionhas to do with the wheel mounting for an axleless truck such as shown inthe aforesaid patent.

The axleless truc-k includes spaeed side members 2D, 26 and the wheels2, 2 are mounted bef; tween these side members. These side members areformed from heavyy plates` They are connected-bytransverse angle plates2 I `2| and semicylindrical gimbal supporting plates 212, 22. Theseplates are welded together and to the side plates, thus iormin'g a veryrigid wheel frame. Ther-e are. spindles '3, 3 Lextending through thesidem'em.- bers on which the wheels are mounted. Each spindle isprovided with a head 4 at one end thereof and has threaded onto theother end .a nut 5. Mounted `in Ythe center portion of the spindle is aspacing sleeve 6,. At the ends ofl the spacing sleeve are the bearingsfor the wheel. Each bearing has an inner race memberY 11. Also mounted'on the spindle 3 outside of each inner race member 'I is an outerspacing sleeve B. These spacing sleeves y8, 8, the inner races 1, T andthe center spacing sleeve 6 form a rigid unit against which the sideframe members are clamped when the nut is threaded onto the spindle.

Associated with the inner races 1, 1 are outer races ID, I0, betweenwhich races aref tapered rollers Ilia, II)n of the usual construction.These outer races I0, IIJ are in the hub II of the `wheel 2. The hub isso dimensioned that it extends from one side frame member 2G to theother side frame member 20 with a close running fit between the end ofthe hub and the side member with which it is associated. This preventsdust from entering into the hub.

A cup shaped oil seal retainer I2 is mounted in each end of the hub ofthe wheel outside of the outer race of each bearing. This oil sealretainer I2 has an outer wall substantially ush with the end of the huband likewise making a running t with the side member with which it isassociated. It also has an outer cylindrical ange fitting tightly withinthe hub so that the retainer rotates with the hub. It is also providedwith an inner liange I3 which is dimensioned so as to be radially spacedfrom the outer face of the spacer sleeve 8 with which it is associated.This spacer sleeve 8 is provided with an annular groove I4 in the outerface thereof and a. snap ring I5 frictionally carried by the flange I3of the oil retaner I2 is so disposed relative to the groove as to iittherein with a running t, that Yis the snap ring does not contact withany of the walls of the groove but is at the same time so closely fittedwithin the groove as to prevent oil under ordinary conditions frompassing between the snap ring and the spacer sleeve 8. A lubricant,preferably oil, is supplied 'to the bearings through a central passagelII in the spindle 3. A radial port Ia in the'spindle leads to anannular space I'I in the center spacing sleeve 6 and ports I-8 lead fromsaid annular space 'I to the chamber within the hub between the centerspacer sleeve and the inner face of the hub. The chamber within the hubis provided with a quantity of liquid sufficient to providean oil line,indicated in Figures 3 and 4. This oil line is the surface'of the oilbath when the wheel is stationary. The oil line is normally maintainedat a level so that as the vwheel rotates the roller bearings II'Ia will'dip into the bath and thus the bearings are lubricated. The level of theoil bath is also so disposed that the, running fit between the snap'ringand the groove in the spacer sleeve is above the oil level when thewheel is stationary land this prevents any leakage of the oil throughthis running iit.v The snap ring is closely spaced relative to the wallsso as to really serve as an oil sealv at all times, preventing oil fromescaping. The snap ring is divided and the ends I9, I9 are slightlyspaced from each other and preferably beveled, as shown at 20a, vZIJainFigure 5. This is the position of the ends after the snap ring hasbeen forcedrinto the flange I3 of the oil retainer I2. When in position,the space between the ends of the ring is only sufficiently large topermit breathingor the necessary relief to avoid undue pressure Withinthe chamber of the wheel hubg. The snap ring, as above noted, makesfrictional contact with the flange I3 of the oil retainer I2 and kwilltherefore center itself in the groove in the spacer sleeve. When the oilis maintained at the level indicated in the drawings, it will passthrough the bearings so that the oil retaining chamber eX- 4 tends allthe way to the oil retainer I2 at the ends of the hub so that therollers or moving parts of the bearings dip into the oil bath at eachrotation of the wheel.

While the drawings show bearings provided with rollers, it is understoodthat balls may be used in place of the rollers. The improvement is notin the bearing per se, but in the arrangement andconstruction`r of partswhich provides a'lubricati'ng system for an axleless truck wherein thequantity of lubricant may be retained within the hub of each weel forlubricating the bearings Vfor the wheel.

It is obvious thatfmany changes in the details of yconstruction may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth inthe appended claim.

I claim:

A wheel mounting for`v trucks having a spindle supported by spaced sideframes, a wheel having a4 hub mounted on bearings carried by 'saidspindle, spacer sleeves for positioning the bear-E ings on the spindle,an annular .oil retainer mounted in the rhub at each end thereof, eachAretainer having a wall making a close running t with the side frame,said retainer wall having an outer cylindrical ange projecting inwardlyand frictionally engaging said hub for rotation therewith, said retainerwall having an inner cy- REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are'of record in th file of this patent: l Y

.UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,076,218 v'Alden 1 Apr. 6, 19372,078,915 Flowers Apr. 27, 1937 2,427,831 Bennett et al. Sept. 23, 1947

